Locomotive.



L. E. STEPHENS.

LOCOMOTIVE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-151M915.

' Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

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L. E. STEPHENS.

LOCOMOTIVE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-Q :sflsls.

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U T TE LEON E. STEPHENS, 0F REDLANDS, CALIFORNIA.

LOCOMOTIVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1918'.

Application'fild December 15, 1915 Serial No. 67,020.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lnon E. Srnrnnns, a citizen of the United States,residing at Redlands, in the county of San Bernardino and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements i1i'L0comotives, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates toprime movers of that general type as areoperated by steam and more especially relatesto steam engines orlocomotives which may be employed particularly for railroad work.

The present day locomotives operating'by steam, generate such steam fromthe combustion of coal, oilor a similar fuel. It is proposed as theprincipal object of this in- Vention, however, to employ steamin asimilar manner, as far as the propulsion of the locomotive is concernedbut to generate such steam through the medium of electrical energysuitably transformed into heat.

An object of equal importance With the foregoing is to provide a novelboiler for the locomotive consisting of three concentric shells, theinnermost of which will contain a heating element adapted to have itsenergy developed by the passage of an electrical current; the centershell will contain the water from which steam is generated'by' theaction of the mentioned heating element while the outer shell providesan inclosing vacuum space to prevent wasteful dissemination of the heatfrom: either of the other shells through the cooling attendant upontravel of the locomotive.

To summarize, it is the object of the present invention to combine theadvantages of both the steam and electric locomotives with aproportionate riddance of the disadvantages of both systems. The modernsteam locomotive is a smoke nuisance on an enlarged scale and the modernelectric locomotive presents third rail dangers which have often provedto be a public menace. Locomotives constructed after the manner of thepresent invention will combine the advan tages of steam as a motivepower without the disadvantages of an attendant bituminous combustionthrough the basic expedient of permitting each prime mover unit tocontain its own electrical power plant.

The above and additional objects which will become apparent as thisexplanatory description proceeds are accomplished by such means as areillustrated in the accompany ing drawings, described in the followingspecification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims whichare appende d hereto and form a part of this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein there is illustrated thepreferred embodimentof this invention as it is reduced to practice, andthroughout the several views of which like characters of referencedesignate similar parts Figure 1 is a vertical sectionalview takenthrough the entire engine superstructure;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken through the steam dome ofthe boiler;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective detail of the heating coilarrangements.

In carrying out the invention there is employed a. plurality of boilershells which are concentrically arran ed one within therings 41 whichare angular in cross section v The shell 36 is also provided with asteam tight cap 38 which is alinedwith the forward cap of the innershell. Rearwardly the two shells are connected through the medium of aconduit 42, both the shells being registeringly apertured in alinementwith this conduit. The central shell 36 being adapted to contain thewater to be evaporated in this composite boiler is fed through themedium of a supply pipe 36' which extends thcreinto'and is provided witha suitable valve 37 for the control of the water supply.

The outer shell 35 is spaced from the central shell also through themedium of the plates 39 with their coacting securing rings 41, suchplates and rings being, however, on a larger scale than those firstdescribed. A conduit 43 is provided between the outer shell 35 and thecentral shell, both of such shells being also ap ert'nr ed in alinementwith the conduit which is arranged in any suitable steam ti ht manner,both the conduits 42 and 43 being provided at the cab end of the boilershells, a cab 44 of any preferred construction being arranged in itsusual relation to the rearward end of the boiler.

The steam dome of my improved construction includes walls 45 forming anopen ended boxing, which ends are provided with perimetral flanges 46,the flanges 46 being concaved for a desirable connection between theouter and central shells 35 and 36. A throttle valve 47 is arrangedwithin this steam dome and is provided with any suitable operatingmechanism which is generally designated 48 and leads to the engineershand throttle 49 which latter is mounted 1n its customary position uponthe boiler with in the cab, the connections thereto extending throughthe conduit 43. A steam gage 50 is placed within the cab and has pipeconnections 51 leading to the steam dome. From the throttle valve 47,there extends from the steam dome the dry pipe 52 which leads, through asuitable union 53 to the yoked supply pipes 54 for the working cylindersof the engine, brackets 56 of any suitable construction being employedto rigidly maintain the dry pipe in its proper position.

Leading from the engine cylinders in the manner best shown in Fig. 2 arethe cylinder exhaust pipes 57 which are connected by the three-way union58 with the exhaust manifold 59, such manifold leading into the exhausttank 60 which is preferably arranged between the shells 35 and 36, andin the forward portion of the boiler. From this exhaust tank there leadsrearwardly the exhaust pipe 61 which is supported upon the en ine frame.Feed wires 78 and 79 enter t e boiler through insulators 80 supported inalinement by the central and outer shells 36 and 35 respectively. Thesewires 78 and 79 are in circuit with a suitable source of electricalenergy. From the innermost insulator 80 the feed wires 78 and 79continue through a conduit 42 connecting the central and innermostboiler shells. The central boiler shell 37 contains a number of snuglyfitting blocks 82 of a desirable heat conducting and insulating element,such blocks being arranged in a cylindrical series extending throughoutthe length of the boiler shell. If desired these heating blocks may bearranged in a series of alternate materials, but in any case their facesare pro vided with spiral grooves, as can be clearly seen in Fig. 2. Inthese spiral grooves the lead wires 78 and 79 are alternately arrangedin the manner diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 3, showing thealternate arrangement of coils 83 whereby the continuity of the leadwiresis unbroken. At

the "forward end of the boiler shell 37, the lead wires are connected tocomplete the circuit.

The boiler, considered as being composed of the nesting shells 35, 36and 37 is supported in the usual manner upon a forward saddle 84 and arearward saddle 85, such saddles being mounted on the usual truckrunning gear 86 of a locomotive, which is not specifically changed bythis invention, owing to the fact that the same conditions govern theconstruction of this portion of the engine. Running boards 83 aresupported upon the boiler through the medium of brackets 84*. I

In the roof of the engine cab 44, there is placed a cap 100 which isprovided with suitable contact points 101 to which the lead wires 78 and79 are connected in order that the source of electrical energy may bereadily reached. A rheostat is provided that the heat of the innerboiler may be readily regulated.

Considering the rheostat so adjusted that the electrical current ispermitted to pass through the feed wires 78 and 79 and heating theinductive elements 83, it will be apparent that the outer shell 35completely surrounding the heating shell will have steam generatedtherein in a most eflicient manner. The steam rises to the dome and isthere fed into the dry pipe for the cylinders by operation of thethrottle valve. The outer shell 35 has the air exhausted therefrom inorder to provide a vacuum inclosure for both the inner and the centralboiler shell. By this means all of the heat generated in the inner shellis transmitted directly to the inclosing Water shell and all of the heatso transmitted to the water shell is employed for the generation ofsteam, owing to the impossibility of heat escaping through the vacuumprovided by the outer shell. This arrangement of composite boiler, whichcan only be practicable where some other means for the emission of heatenergy than the combustion of coal is used afi'ords the most eflicientmanner of steam generation for locomotives, which is yet known to theinventor.

While in the foregoing, however, there has thus been illustrated in thedrawings and described in the specification such combination andarrangement of elements as constitute the preferred embodiment of thisinvention, it is desired to emphasize the fact that such minor changesin the matters of proportion and degree may be made in la er adaptationsof this device as shall not alter the spirit of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. In a locomotive, a steam generating boilerconstructed of a plurality of closed shells, said boiler comprising aninner shell forming a heating chamber, a central shell surrounding saidinner shell and forming a Water chamber, an outer shell surrounding saidcentral shell and providing a heat insulating space, a closed steam domesecured between said outer and central shells and communicating with thelatter only, a throttle valve supported in said dome, an outlet pipehaving one end connected with said valve and the opposite end thereofpassed through said central shell and extended in spaced parallelismwith said inner or heating shell, and a pair of oppositely directedoutlet flanges connected with the last mentioned end of said pipe andextending around opposite sides of said inner heating shell.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe 2. In a locomotive, a boiler comprising an inner cylindrical shell,a central shell surrounding said inner shell and spaced therefrom, anouter shell surrounding said central shell and spaced therefrom, spacingrings connecting said shells, and a steam dome positioned between saidouter and central shells, said dome comprising an open ended casinghaving outwardly directing flanges provided at each end thereof andadapted to be secured to said outer and central shells.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEON E. STEPHENS.

Witnesses:

JOHN STErNs, DAISY STEPHENS.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

